Volcanoes Dot Snowy Russian Landscape in New Photo from Space

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The ashy peak of a volcano stands out amid a snowy scene, hinting
at a recent eruption, in newly released images from NASA.

The Kamchatka Peninsula, in eastern Russia, is one of the
most active volcanic regions on Earth, and the ash-covered
Klyuchevskoy volcano erupts most frequently. The volcano formed
6,000 years ago and hasn't slowed down since, according to NASA.

The image, which shows a thin plume of ash and steam flowing out
of the Klyuchevskoy volcano, was captured by an astronaut aboard
the International Space Station in early May. Klyuchevskoy is
flanked by other snow-covered volcanoes, including Ushkovsky,
Bezymianny and Tolbachik, according to NASA. [ Images:
Erupting Kamchatka Volcanoes ]

The peninsula extends about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers), which
is equivalent to the coastline of Hawaii, and formed when the
Pacific ocean plate slid beneath the Eurasia continental plate in
a tectonic process called
subduction, according to NASA. The volcanoes on Kamchatka are
part of the so-called Ring of Fire, a narrow chain of volcanoes
that circle the Pacific Ocean, where a large number of the
planet's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is surrounded by the sea and has a moist,
relatively mild climate that allows lush vegetation to flourish.
Land animals such as bears, snow rams, northern deer, sables and
wolverines roam the region, while birds like sea eagles,
white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, gyrfalcons and peregrine
falcons soar above. The abundant and distinct flora and fauna led
UNESCO to designate the Volcanoes of Kamchatka a World Heritage
Site in 1996. Regular monitoring of the volcanoes started in 1935
with the founding of the Kamchatka Volcanological Station in
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.